


Skulls - A Solangelo Fanfiction

by ArlenaTheWriter



Category: Bastille (Band), Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, But only cause he's scared, Campus - Bastille, Doctor - Freeform, I Fell Asleep When Writing This, M/M, Mortician, Nico is an asshole, Skulls - Bastille, World Gone Mad - Bastille, pernico - Freeform, solangelo, twice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-02-29 01:46:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18768676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArlenaTheWriter/pseuds/ArlenaTheWriter
Summary: It's all mostly in the tags.I'll write a professional summary later.





	1. World Gone Mad - Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm writing another Fanfiction, even though I have to many that need updating.  
> I hope you all enjoy.

A pale young male, who seemed around sixteen, pressed himself close against the wall, avoiding the mass of students warily. They were in a disorganized horde, and the male wanted no part of it, choosing to stay separated with the rest of the students. His outfit, consisting of black, was being brandished almost like a warning sign, conveying that he didn’t want to be talked to. He moved hesitantly toward the line of students waiting for their dorm keys, looking around like a frightened deer so he didn’t get tackled by a student. His body was folded in on himself so that he was less likely to brush against someone.

Despite his precautions, the young male was almost knocked to the ground when another student, just a little older than him, ran into him head-on. The dark-haired male stumbled to catch himself, his thin build not able to absorb much force. “Watch where you’re going,” He hissed angrily, steadying himself and regaining his already lost dignity. He did everything he could to stand pridefully and hide the slight blush formed by abashment that tinted his cheeks.

The student that had run into him looked around seventeen. Skin tanned to the perfect color and blonde hair helped his brilliant blue eyes stand out. Had the paler male not have been upset, he may have considered the blonde hot, but right now, he only saw him as a jerk, nothing more. “S-Sorry,” the blonde apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. He was clearly embarrassed as well, but the dark-haired male didn’t feel any pity for him. Instead, the teen actually felt a twinge of satisfaction. Now the blonde knew how he had felt at least when he almost fell to the ground. 

He ignored the apology and headed for the line without saying another word, getting there as quickly as possible to prevent running into anyone else. He waited anxiously, wanting to get out of the chaotic environment as soon as possible. He had never been one for crowds, especially crowds of people acting in the most immature ways. The dark-eyed boy did his best to stay away from anyone else in the line, but that didn’t stop one of them from bumping into him occasionally. Why couldn’t people calm themselves down and be mature for once? The male shook his head but did his best to tolerate the chaos. 

When the line reached him, he eagerly went up to the desk, wanting to get the interaction over with as soon as possible. “Di Angelo, Nico.” He stated his name how he had heard others done before him. Unlike many of the students before him though, he had walked up to the desk alone, not in a group of followers. Despite how revealing and bare being alone was, Nico didn’t mind it. In fact, he rather enjoyed the feeling of weakness, as odd as it may sound.

The person on the other side of the desk repeated his name in a whisper to herself as she looked over a list on her computer. “Nico Di Angelo,” She repeated, slightly louder. “You are located in dorm 089.” Nico nodded as she kindly gave him a grin, though it was obvious she hated the noise and ruckus from the students as well and handed him his dorm key. “Keep this with you at all times. If you lose it, make sure to report it to the office, so we can get you another one.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Have a nice day.” Nico nodded again and left hastily, eager to get to his dorm and the calm solace it would provide to him. He inwardly prayed to an unknown god to put him with another person who was generally quiet. Nico couldn’t stand loud noises. They interrupted his thoughts and invaded his normally calm mindset. He didn’t think he would be able to get anything done if he was put with a loud roommate, and that concerned him immensely. He was someone who took his studies and schoolwork seriously. He hadn’t come here to mess around.

Nico quickly found his dorm and unlocked the door. It opened easily and he entered, making sure to lock it behind him in case a student from a different dorm mistook dorm 089 for their own. It had happened many times before, and Nico wasn’t really in the mood to explain to another student that they had opened the wrong door. Especially when most of the students tried defending themselves, claiming that they were the ones who were in the right dorm. Sometimes Nico wished people would just abandon their pride and listen for once. How hypocritical of him.

Nico picked a side randomly and sat down on the bed in the corner, opening his bag gently. All he wanted to do was read at the moment to lower his stress levels. The loud groups of students had done the pale teen no favors. He grabbed one of his books, eyes scanning over the cover. The book, like many of his others, was about necromancy. While Nico didn’t believe in it, necromancy was an interesting topic to read about, and it was a bit more entertaining the regular books he often read about preserving bodies and different types of burial. He knew reading books centered around death was often considered weird, or eccentric, but he didn’t care. 

Nico began reading, already relaxing and becoming absorbed into the book. Just the presence of it had calmed him. To him, books were like lavender to an insomniac. He laid back, forgetting that another student could possibly be entering the room any moment. He forgot everything except the information presented to him, and for a while, found himself in a sense of peace.

The door opened and Nico looked up, turning his head slightly to glance at the intruder who had broken the placid, lovely silence. The teen’s barrier of tranquility had crumbled to the ground the second the door had opened, and his soul sank in disappointment. Nico studied the student that he would be practically living with for most of the school year. As his eyes traversed the figure, the feeling of disappointment grew even more intense. Instantly he knew that this year would be one of the worst he’d have. 

Standing in the doorway was the same kid that had run into him when Nico had first arrived. It was quite obvious to tell a few things from just looking at him. He was an optimist, that was absolutely certain, seeing as not an inch of him was covered with a dark color. He also had a wide grin that screamed optimistic and naive. The next thing that was pretty easy to tell was that he was a social person. Nico had heard him talking loudly to a group of guys outside the dorm door and had seen him in line chatting with people. Most of them had looked uncomfortable like they didn’t really know the guy or why he was talking to them. Outgoing, optimistic, and naive were the words that came to mind when Nico set his eyes upon him.

The blonde closed the door behind him, not bothering at all to lock it. Nico felt the urge to stand up and do it himself, but he willed himself to stay put. Maybe if he stayed silent and kept reading, the blonde would ignore him and go about his day. “Hey,” The blonde flashed his blinding smile at Nico. “You’re the guy from earlier, right? Sorry about that. I was a little distracted by all the excitement.” 

Nico ignored the apology, not wanting to fully forgive the blonde yet. He didn’t know why he felt this anger towards him, and he knew it wasn’t right to hold a pointless grudge. Still, Nico felt this unadulterated loathing for the blonde. Maybe it was just because the blonde seemed like the complete opposite of him. That could’ve been it, but Nico had been told that opposites attract. Now, he wasn’t so sure that was the case.

The blonde seemed to take Nico’s silence as an apology, though it definitely was not, and sat down on the other bed. “My name is Will, what’s yours?” The blonde interrupted the quiet again, shifting restlessly. 

Nico looked up from his book again, unable to filter the expression of annoyance on his face. He sighed softly, though it was still able to be heard by Will. “Nico,” He replied. “Nico di Angelo.” 

“Are you Bianca di Angelo’s brother?” Will asked almost immediately after Nico’s answer. Ignoring Nico’s wince, the blonde continued with an excited tone to his voice. “What she did was really honorable. It was a shame that she had to sacrifice her life for it all, though.”

Of course, he would mention Bianca first thing. Nico regretted revealing his last name immediately. After her death, he was never known as Nico di Angelo, he was known as Nico, the child prodigy that sacrificed her life’s little brother. He wouldn’t mind that if the pain of her death wasn’t fresh. The pale teen was still grieving his sister’s passing on, and it was hard to find closure when everyone would mention her the second they saw him or heard his last name. 

Bianca was seen as an idol to the city, and all across the world for studying one of the terrible diseases that were taking so many lives throughout their state and country. She managed to discover the research that led to the vaccination for this disease but not before dying from it herself. Bianca had exposed herself so much to the disease whilst researching it, that it infected her not long after she had finished her research. Nico had remembered her telling him that the death was worth it and that she knew she was going to get the disease. It was inevitable, she had said, but at least I will be one of the last victims.

It was Bianca’s passing on that led to Nico taking studies on death. Something about her leaving him had triggered his passion for studying to become a mortician. In a way, he was grateful that Bianca was able to give him such a strong passion as a parting gift, but at the same time, he wished that it wasn’t as challenging as it was to find classes and books for it. Not to mention the degradation he received for choosing that path. 

Bianca always took the challenging route, and now she had led Nico on one.

Nico suddenly became painfully aware that he had been asked a question as he was ripped from his thoughts. He looked back at Will. “Yeah, I am.” He nodded, shifting on the bed awkwardly.

“That’s cool,” Will grinned and Nico was relieved that the topic wasn’t pressed any further. He didn’t think he could handle having a whole conversation on Bianca at the moment. Socializing was enough stress and emotions for now.

“I guess.” Nico shrugged, setting his book down gently. “What are you studying?” Nico couldn’t quite believe he was trying to keep a conversation alive, but somehow he seemed to be. 

“I come from a line of doctors. I hope to keep the family tradition alive.” Will replied, never once letting that blinding smile leave his face.

Doctor. How predictable. How normal. Such a common position. Nico didn’t comment on his opinion. He just nodded.

“And you?” Will asked, sitting back against the bare wall. 

“Mortician,” Nico said, practically shuddering at the sound of it. He had gotten a few nicknames from revealing this information, and he had learned just to keep his mouth shut. People didn’t want anything with you if you didn’t give them any ammunition to fire at you. The teen noticed the confusion on Will’s face and blushed slightly, rushing to explain. “Someone who studies corpses, often to find the cause of death.” 

“Oh, that means we’ll have a lot of the same classes.” Will seemed unfazed, though Nico noticed a slight blush of embarrassment on his face.

Nico nodded in agreement, leaning back against the wall. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he was exhausted. Will also looked tired, but he covered it up with his facial expression. Nico let out a stray yawn.

“Tired?” Will chuckled, and Nico nodded with a blush. “I am too. We should probably get as much rest as possible. The next days are going to be chaotic.” He gave Nico a smile and fell back onto his bed.

Nico hesitantly laid down as well and pulled out his book while his roommate slept.


	2. Chapter Two - Campus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico studied Will for a moment, before answering softly. “I’m going on a short walk. I’d prefer that you don’t tag along.” The answer came out a bit colder than Nico wanted, but he still hadn’t had his coffee yet, and he really wasn’t in the mood to interact with anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! It took awhile for me to type this up, but here you go.  
> Hopefully I'll update every Friday/Saturday, but we'll see.  
> Link to the Chapter Title Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLE-YxZ3JQ8

Nico had finally fallen asleep at around 11 last night, which was rather early for him.  The dark-haired boy had always suffered from not being able to fall asleep at night. Insomnia was the word for it.  He often pulled all-nighters, spending most of his days catching up on any sleep he missed. He didn’t mind the last part.  After all, the night was much more peaceful than the day. No one bothered him, and the soft silence that unfolded was so calming.  His sister had agreed with him, and when she was still alive, they often stayed up together in her room. Bianca would study and Nico would read.  Occasionally, they would exchange words about the news or a new fact they had learned, but often they just needed to be in the same room with each other, conversing not with words, but with auras.  Plus, their parents would’ve killed them if they found out they had been staying up.

Now, at night it got lonely without Bianca.  Sometimes Nico would lean against the wall while reading and just imagine himself back in her room.  He could practically hear the clicking of the keys while Bianca typed. Now and then, her soft voice teased at his ears and distracted him from his reading.  When that happened, it usually led to Nico crying, burying his head in his arms and allowing his book to fall onto the ground. He would fall asleep and wake up with the fresh pain of her death.  It was when he woke up after those nights of being so close to her that her death felt like it had happened just yesterday. 

Standing up with a sigh, Nico went to the restroom to take a shower and get changed.  His morning routine was quick and rushed in the hopes that Will wouldn’t wake up while he was getting ready.  Nico didn’t want to have to get through the stress of talking to people this early in the morning, especially when he hadn’t had coffee yet.  Bianca had told him that he could be quite bitter without a small dose of caffeine in the morning, and her comment had been confirmed by many others.  He had just finished up packing everything he wanted for his short walk in a small one-strap backpack when Will woke up.

Will gave him a smile as he sat up in his bed.  “Where are you going?” He asked, rubbing his eyes and stretching. 

Nico studied Will for a moment, before answering softly.  “I’m going on a short walk. I’d prefer that you don’t tag along.” The answer came out a bit colder than Nico wanted, but he still hadn’t had his coffee yet, and he really wasn’t in the mood to interact with anyone.  Also, as nice as Will seemed, he just didn’t have to kind of personality that was compatible with Nico. He was too energetic for the introverted male, and it’d be hard to keep up with him if they were friends. It was easier to just make that as obvious as possible right now, so that Will wouldn’t expect to actually get along with Nico.

If Will had been hurt by Nico’s comment, he didn’t show it.  Will just nodded and stood up, heading to the bathroom to get ready himself.  Nico paused for a moment before opening the door to the dorm and stepping out.  He made sure to lock the door behind him as he headed out. 

It was a nice, cool morning, the light breeze making it almost perfect.  A bit too early for anyone to be out, but there were a few students out on the fields, practicing for whatever sport they were in.  Nico watched them from a pretty good distance, not wanting to get too close to the chaos. The High School Nico went to was well known for its athletics, so it wasn’t unusual to see so many students practicing.  The only odd thing about what was going on in the field was the fact that a group of students were sparring. Most High Schools wouldn’t teach anything related to sword fighting at all, but for some reason, Nico’s school did.

It took awhile before Nico realized that the path he was taking was nearing the field.  He didn’t want to stray off-path, fearing the many seed ticks that wouldn’t hesitate to latch onto his ankles.  There was nothing worse than having tiny bugs burrowing into your ankle. The young student just made sure to do his best to avoid making eye contact with anyone as he walked quickly past the group of students sparring. 

“Hey, kid!” A voice called out over to him and Nico flinched.  He turned to look at a student running up to him. His brown hair was askew and his face was littered with scratches.  However, none of that really was noticeable when they were shadowed by the boy’s deep sea-green eyes. Nico had to admit that the student was, to say it bluntly, really hot.  Not to many men caught Nico’s eye, but this one definitely did. For a moment, Nico was silent as he took in the student in front of him, forgetting that he probably should respond to the student calling him.

“Wanna join me for a sparring match?” His voice broke through Nico’s thoughts and Nico suddenly realized the situation he was in.  The younger boy shook his head and turned away quickly, making sure to walk a bit faster. Nico ignored the brown-haired student when he once again tried to get his attention.  After that, he was left alone. Though, Nico was unsure if he really wanted to be alone.

Being alone has its pros and cons.  On the upside, it allowed Nico to be able to think and relax.  It also kept him from getting hurt if someone decided they didn’t want to be around him anymore.  There were too many dangerous things about putting your trust in someone’s hands. On the downside, it caused him to sometimes think too much, and being trapped in your mind for so long can cause some...undesired side effects.

No one else bothered Nico on the way to the cafe nearby.  Yes, he occasionally got glances as he walked past, but other than that, people stayed away from him.  After getting a coffee, he found himself in a better mood than he had been this morning, and he only hoped that no one ruined it.  If people could just leave him alone, he could head back to his dorm, read and have a rather pleasant day. School started tomorrow, and he wasn’t really looking forward to it.  He wanted to enjoy his last day of freedom. 

As he walked back to the campus, he began to forget the people around him. Nico found himself thinking about the book he was reading instead.  His mind ran through the options on how the plot might twist and change. What would be the fate of the main character and his two allies? Every possible outcome was turned over in his mind and analysed as he tried to predict the future for the characters.  Nico knew that his predictions would be wrong, but it was fun to fantasize. He’d probably finish the book today, knowing how fast he goes through them.

Nico’s thoughts were interrupted by someone walking over to walk beside him. At first, Nico tried speeding up to outpace the student, but they changed their pace to match his.  “What do you want?” He asked, taking another sip of his coffee to prepare himself for the conversation about to proceed. As good as he was at being an asshole, it wasn’t his favorite personality.

The student was rather tall for someone Nico’s age, and he looked pretty well built.  He had brown hair that was damp from the sweat beading on his forehead. The only thing that made him stand out was the fact that he had an eyepatch over his left eye.  His wide smile put Nico at ease almost immediately, and Nico almost found himself smiling back. Wasn’t there a study on how happiness actually is contagious? “Hey, it wasn’t really cool when you turned down Percy like that.”

_ Oh shit. _

Nico’s brain sounded the panic alarm, and he had to take a moment to try and calm himself down.  The boy didn’t seem like he wanted to hurt him, or was terribly upset with him in the slightest. In fact the comment sounded more like a disappointed mother talking to her child.  Calm, relaxed, but serious. After a few moments, Nico felt like he could speak again and he cleared his throat. “I just don’t feel like talking or being around anyone.”

The boy nodded.  “I can understand that, but try to find ways to word it in a less hurtful way.  Percy was just trying to be nice. He can sense when someone is lonely, or needs to be cheered up.  On a different day where you feel better, try accepting his invitation. It’d mean a lot to him.”

Nico doubted he would ever go near the group of sparring campers.  The chaos was just too much for him, but for the student’s sake he responded with a “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you, and I also wanted to say that even if you aren’t feeling too well, it may be smart to just go over there and talk to them.  Percy and a few of his friends have an affect on people. You can’t really stay upset when you’re around Percy.” The student softly chuckled at the thought.

“Thanks, um...What’s your name?” Nico faltered, blushing in embarrassment.

“Tyson Jackson.” Tyson grinned and once again Nico felt himself relax a bit. It was hard to be tense around someone so accepting and kind. 

“Thanks Tyson, I’m Nico di Angelo.” The student prepared himself for the questions about his sister, but surprisingly, he didn’t get a single one.

“Nico? That’s a nice name.  Do you like to read?”

Nico was caught off guard-by that question.  “Yeah. How did you know?”

“No student brings a backpack on a walk unless it’s filled with books.” Tyson laughed.

After awhile, the two sat down and just talked about interests.  Nico didn’t really process the stress of talking to someone, and whenever he did start to panic, Tyson’s smile calmed him down.  The students seemed so happy all the time that it was hard to not get along with him. Nico couldn’t even begin to guess how many friends he may have acquired just by starting a small conversation.  Nico found it amazing that some people could have such a flexible personality. Tyson knew when people wanted to be around someone energetic, or when they preferred a more calm personality, and he adapted to that request.  As far as Nico was concerned, he only had one personality: quiet and introverted.

At some point, someone had called Tyson’s name, and the student had to go, but Nico stayed there on the bench and pulled out his book.  He didn’t get much reading done though. Instead, he spent a lot of time just thinking about the conversation he had with Tyson over. And, when he did start reading, he was often distracted by Percy Jackson and a blonde student, who were both in a pretty intense sparring match.

Maybe he would go over to them one day, but for now, he had a book to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't force Nico to be upset at Tyson, so the chapter took an unexpected turn.


	3. A Letter To My Readers

For those of you who thought this was a major update, I’m sorry. And, for those who are reading this at a different time, who are coming across this months after this chapter than I’m sorry if you may be confused. However, if you got this far into anything I’ve written, then it is important you read this.

I’ve been going through some challenges lately. It’s hard trying to find the light when you are sinking in a pool of scattered ideas that will never work, or good ones that fade away the second you reach for them. It’s frusturating to look at your screen while working and knowing that someone else is on the other side waiting for you to update. And when I say it like that, it sounds like I think so highly of myself. It’s hard to actually think that there is someone out there who actually wants to read my stuff. Sometimes it feels like they’re all fictional.

The truth is, I write for myself, and because of that, it is hard to keep up with demands. Your feedback is wonderful, but sometimes it’s poison because I realize how true it is. “This is really great. Keep up the hard work!” It’s so hard to have to admit that I can’t keep up the hard work because the idea is gone. I hate the fact that I have people waiting on stories I haven’t updated for two months, just because I didn’t want to try and update it. It feels almost selfish to sit there and deny people a good story because I can’t take the emotional stress.

So I want to apologize for the inconsistensy. For the fact that my mind fails me, and will continue to fail me. I will try to keep up with the very small demand. I will try to keep up with my schedule, but be prepared for me to fail you.

Your positive feedback encourages me, but that joy only lasts for awhile. It’s hard to revive it because then it often sounds like lies. Sometimes I need a little critism to motivate me.

I ask of you one favor so that I may be able to please you better. Please give me feedback, and I mean real feedback. The truth. The pros and cons. Give me something to build off so I can learn to not just write for myself, but for the world.

Thank you.


End file.
